


change in pressure

by morino



Series: [ verse ] - bend don't break (year 104) [1]
Category: springwave
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-16 02:01:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13044180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morino/pseuds/morino
Summary: dohwan does what he should have done so long ago: he gives jinsung a call.[ bend don't break (year 104); dohwan, jinsung ]





	change in pressure

There's shuffling. Groaning too, but the soft, considerate kind that only happens when Scott is sleeping soundly across the room. No one has the heart to wake up a sleeping Scott Kang, especially not a whiny, half-asleep Jinsung.  
  
Dohwan imagines what Jinsung's doing to make the muffled sounds pouring into his ear: first rolling over so he was facing the wall and away from Scott, like just whispering in his general direction would traumatize him for the rest of his life; making sure his phone was tucked between his ear and his pillowcase as he squinted into the darkness, waiting for his eyes to start seeing dull hints of color rather than pitch black.  
  
"Y'know, I'm _supposed_ to be sleeping right now."  
  
"I know." It's late. 'Six hours to go until they have to get up' late.  
  
"Then why're you waking me up—" of course he didn't check the caller ID before picking up. "—Shin."  
  
Jinsung sniffles. The sound sweeps up an octave as it nears its end. A marker of the moment he stops wading so deep in drowsiness and makes the connection.  
  
"Wait, wait. Dohwan?"  
  
More shuffling. He thinks Jinsung might be getting up, surprise creeping up his back like vines up a stone wall.  
  
Whispering doesn't dilute the chiding glaze coating his tone. "The fuck you doing awake?"  
  
"I couldn't sleep." _I'm a coward._ "I wanted to talk to you." _I had a whole day but I couldn't bring myself to look you in the eye. I hope you didn't notice, I hope that you did._  
  
"Yeah?" A pause; empty. The gears in his head are turning slow. Something about this doesn't make sense, but Jinsung is not quite sure what it is yet. "...Did you wanna talk or something?"  
  
Dohwan smiles, a small thing. He feels bad for waking him up so late, over something he couldn't start at the right time. It's never the right time for anything anymore. When did he start losing track of it? The grains keep spilling through the cracks and now he's up to his knees in lost time, lost chances, lost moments.  
  
"I'm sorry. For not being a good friend."  
  
"What? ...What, dude, what the fuck—"  
  
_It's too early for this_ , the haggard strain in his voice says. Dohwan agrees. He wishes he was better at figuring this, too.  
  
"You've been having a hard time and I didn't notice. I didn't do anything to help. I'm sorry that you felt like you couldn't talk to me about it. I didn't mean to make you feel bad—"  
  
"Shin, dude—"  
  
"I should have made time for you. And everyone. I haven't been focusing lately and I should have been. I knew you had a fight with CJ but I didn't ask and I should have—"  
  
"Listen—Dohwan, are you... don't cry, man, c'mon."  
  
"I'm sorry," he croaks.  
  
"Dohwan..."  
  
The human-sized lump on Kihun's bed shifts, hair peeking out from the top of his blanket cocoon. Dohwan pulls his knees to his chest, wiping his face on the sleeve of his sweatshirt as he wraps the arm around his legs. He should be quieter.  
  
"Why aren't you here? I could _walk_ to you."  
  
"It's better this way."  
  
"Don't be fucking stupid."  
  
"Don't get up." Distantly, he can hear Jinsung doing exactly that, pulling the covers off his legs. "You'll wake up Scott."  
  
"If he knew you were crying, he'd get the fuck up too."  
  
"Then I'll stop."  
  
"Shin, for fuck's sake," he sighs, a burst of exasperated air. Dohwan can hear the bed swell and summarily deflate like a sad cake, free of Jinsung's weight and its days of youth. "I've been a jerky fuck for the last however fucking long, and you're _still_ the most annoying mope I know."  
  
"I'm sorry—"  
  
"I'm not gonna be your excuse to be a sad sack of shit again, alright? Find your fucking head and stop being a brat."  
  
His bottom lip curls, quivers. He suppresses the tiny sob ball in his throat, breathes through his nose instead.  
  
Jinsung waits until they both mentally count to three.  
  
"Alright. Try to sleep, I'm coming."  
  
He exhales. His legs fall, stretch out. He feels unsteady without something to grab onto. He should lie down.  
  
Dohwan scoots to the right side of the mattress and, with a weak few tugs, draws the covers higher up his legs.  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Okay. I'm hanging up."


End file.
